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from The Daily Independent
MILL IS MORE THAN
MERELY A BUSINESS
Making dog food a family
affair for Sexton Brothers
By Tonia Holbrook
 Willard
-It has long been said that family members shouldn't go into business
together. Freeman, David and Floyd Sexton, three brothers who own
and operate Willard Milling Co., have been disproving this adage
for 11 years.
The three established their firm in 1986 and have witnessed a steady
growth - thanks to their primary product. Sexton Brothers Dog Food.
The Sextons never thought they would be going into business together
when they were growing up in this Carter County community.
"We were typical brothers. We fought and played." said
Floyd.
"We don't fight anymore. We're not able." said David.
Freeman said he is proud of how well he and his brothers work together
because many time brothers don't get along.
The idea for the business stemmed from an existing venture in which
Freeman was involved. He built North America's first fox pen - an
enclosed area where hunters can run their dogs.
"I've run fox dogs all my life." said Freeman, who soon
found himself affiliated with other fox hunters.
"I'd hooked up with so many hunters that I could sell dog food.
That's where we got our market." He said.
Freeman learned on his own by reading books and formulated the dog
food himself. Trying to find the perfect combination of protein
and fat that sporting dogs require for maximum performance. Freeman
tested each formula on his own dogs. After three years of trial
and error, he said he finally hit the right one.
"Within the first month, we sold 39 tons," he said.
"We had a difficult time at first but we worked through it,"
Floyd said.
Business has been booming ever since. They sold 900 tons of Sexton
Brother Dog Food in November alone.
 The
inclusion of family in the business is important to the Sextons.
The company maintains 21 employees, including the three brothers,
and Freeman and David both have a daughter working in the office.
"We always have family in the office," Freeman said.
It's the best there is - the best dog food and the best people to
work for," said seven year employee Donnie
Gollihue. "If they weren't, I wouldn't have been here so long."
With no advertisement other than word of mouth, Freeman said they
can hardly keep feed in stock. Demand for their products has increased
to where the Sextons recently started a night shift at the mill.
In the near future, they will either go to two 12-hours or three
eight-hour shift.
Freeman attributes the success to the loyalty of their customers.
Willard Milling has a clientele of mostly individuals plus about
500 retail and wholesale stores. Their dog food is sold in 12 states.
"They are probably some of the most honest people I've ever
known in my life," said Phillip Nelson, a dog food distributor
for the Sextons and president of Chestnut Mountain Feed Co. in Concord
Va.
Nelson stumbled onto the business by accident, he said. He had come
to Kentucky with a friend who was interested in purchasing Floyd's
55 Ford Crown Victoria. After meeting Nelson, Freeman mentioned
he didn't have a distributor in Virginia, North Carolina or South
Carolina.
"A light bulb went off," Nelson said. Freeman sent him
back to Virginia with samples, which Nelson gave to eight dog owners
to test. All eight liked it. "In fact, I couldn't find anyone
who didn't, he said. Nelson would spend the next three months coming
back for more dog food, picking up 7 to 8 tons each trip.
Nelson has been getting positive feedback about the product ever
since. "People say it's the best dog food they can find for
the money," he said.
Coupled with hard work and determination, Floyd attributes the rapid
growth of the company to the quality of the product.
The growing popularity of Sexton Brothers Dog Food doesn't surprise
Freeman. He said he tells fox hunters. "If you want your dogs
to work a couple hours longer, feed them Sexton Brothers."
The Sexton Brothers also have been partners in other businesses
- cattle, timber and pallets.
The brothers are optimistic and confident the company will continue
to grow.
"Every place we send a load, it grows," Freeman said.
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